Wiltshire RAF veteran cycling 100 hours across 10 days to raise money for military charity

Eric is known locally as ‘The Cycle Man’ Credit: Help for Heroes

An 86-year-old RAF Wiltshire veteran has cycled 100 hours across 10 days to raise money for military charity, Help for Heroes.

Eric Ayling is known locally as ‘The Cycle Man’, having done a number of static bike challenges over the past seven years to raise money to support wounded and sick veterans.

Although this is his biggest challenge so far, almost doubling up on his previous feat in 2019 when he cycled for 60 hours across six days.

His cycle started on 22 November and ends today on 2 November at the Springfield Leisure Campus.

To date he has raised over £19,000 for Help for Heroes and he hopes to raise another £10,000 for the charity this time.

Eric, who was also diagnosed with cancer just before the pandemic, said: “People don’t believe it when I say I’m 86-years- old – age is just a number and exercise is keeping my body young.

"Since I had my diagnosis there’ve been days when my body gave up or I felt depressed, but the cycling and my fitness have helped me to overcome it.

After serving in the RAF, Eric became an athletics coach.

"The tests show I’m improving all the time and my consultant has told me to keep on training, so I will. I aim to live to one hundred.”

Eric says he never learned to ride a bike because he was brought up in an orphanage, having been put into care when he was only 12-months-old after his father was killed in an earthquake while serving in the RAF in India and his mother was unable to look after him alone.

Eric then joined the RAF himself at the age of 17. He went on to serve for 10 years during the 1950s, doing tours in Cyprus and Germany, before becoming an athletics and boxing coach.

John Carpenter, Area Fundraising Manager (South) at Help for Heroes described the veteran as a "total legend". He said: “On behalf of Help for Heroes I would like to say a massive thank you to Eric.

"The two words that come to mind when I think of him are ‘total legend’. To have the determination and strength to do what he does, regardless of his age, is quite extraordinary.

"I know he’s keen to show others that a little exercise can go a long way, and if what he’s doing inspires just one or two others to get on their bikes or go out for a walk, then that’s another difference he’ll have made.”

Donations can still be made to his fundraising page here.